Night Owls: Is There Anything Wrong with Being a Night Person?

So often, we talk about the benefits of being a morning person. Sure, “the early bird gets the worm” but what about the night owls? Contrary to popular belief, there are several advantages to being a night person that go beyond having a great social life. Through just four points, we’re going to debunk the common misconception that early birds have the advantage.

Night owls, get ready to flaunt your feathers!

Longer Work Endurance

Many people in the workplace look down on anyone who doesn’t come running through the door first thing in the morning with a smile on their face and ready to grind the day away. It turns out, night owls have been forced to adapt to the typical “morning-person” 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.

Just like the early riser, they can perform well in the morning (they just may not be as chipper at first) and maintain ample energy well beyond the end of the workday. This endurance allows them to be flexible to go that extra mile after close of business.

Whether it’s for a last minute proposal that requires some overtime or an impromptu client happy hour, this puts night owls at a professional advantage that the boss will surely notice.

Stronger Workplace Performance

According to Business Insider, an AsapSCIENCE report says night owls may perform better than a morning person as the day goes on. At the beginning of the workday, a morning person will hit the ground running and have a stronger performance, while night owls are slow to get going.

After one hour of waking up, early birds and night owls seem to perform at the same rate. However, ten hours after waking up a night owl performs significantly better than a morning person.

Energy for Extracurricular Activities

All that extra energy doesn’t only need to be spent on work. Being a night owl also allows for involvement in the things that interest them. Often times community service opportunities and non-profit organization meetings are held after normal business hours. For a typical morning person, the idea of leaving work to then volunteer or go to a happy hour sounds daunting, but night owls have the energy to keep on truckin’.

Night owls are also more likely to work out in the evening, join sports leagues, attend professional happy hours, have a rich social life, etc. because they aren’t overcome by sleepiness as soon as the sun sets.

Quality Family Life

While a morning person may be great for getting breakfast on the table and the kids off to school, a night owl’s energy in the evening is invaluable. Night owls have the energy to spend the necessary quality time with their family to ensure they can maintain a solid work/life balance. Not that it’s impossible for a morning person to do the same, night owls just have that extra push needed to hang out with their kids, go to their games, help with homework and put them bed.

Truly, this list barely scratches the surface of all the advantages to being a night owl. You won’t hear any complaints from Mattress Firm if your sleep schedule is a little different from the early-risers. Are there any night owls out there? Which perk can you relate most to? Let us know in the comments below!

About The Author

The Daily Dozers The Daily Dozers is a team of our finest Mattress Firm sleep happy experts, pooling their expertise to bring you all you need to know on sleep news of the day and the latest trends in sleep health. Sometimes our team of regular Daily Doze contributors (Craig, Ken and Sunni…not to name names) will throw a pillow or two when trying to decide who gets to write about which topic; and when that happens, we let our task force of daily dozin’ specialists play referee, pooling their knowledge on the topic. From super-sized snoring habits to the very real struggle of trying to become a morning person, there’s no topic too tired for The Daily Dozers.
Best Night’s Sleep: There’s nothing that this dream team loves more than long walks on the beach to prepare for a peaceful slumber, a warm cup of lavender tea, an old Jane Austen novel and curling up in the comfort of their very own Mattress Firm beds.

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26 thoughts on “Night Owls: Is There Anything Wrong with Being a Night Person?”

Juliannesays:

I’ve been a night owl all my life. I think my internal clock is just hard-wired that way. Night owls- the cops, firefighters, nurses, and all the rest, work hard to keep things okay so the day people can sleep!

Ayeshasays:

Crissays:

I work at night, and when I do a double, I am very chipper In the morning. My co-workers do not believe my bounce back. They often make tired jokes, because they are tired and I am full of energy. I get the spend time with my family that others who work in the morning does not, and I do not have to use my leave time for day time appointments. However, working at night can prove to be unhealthy to a certain extend. lack of sleep, lost of time, and often confused about the days are light weight effects. I will not go into the physical aspects. Our bodies are designed to sleep at night and not all day long. Nevertheless, I enjoy my night life employment.

JRsays:

Laurasays:

I am very annoyed at the ‘I am morally superior to you’ attitude of early morning risers. As you’re article states; they often need a nap and are unavailable for anything that requires energy in the evening.

LMsays:

I could not agree more. They’re very quick to sneer at the late-sleeping night owl, but where were they when I was folding laundry or doing bookkeeping chores at 2 a.m.? I’m convinced that our biology has something to do with it, because I come from a family of night owls.

Just one question: Why do night owls always end up married to morning people?

Jake Blocksays:

I did 13 of 24 years in the military working at night and have never gotten used to being awake in the daylight. I come alive after sundown. Now, at almost 70, I’m still a “creature of the night,” who sees as little of the sun as possible, but man, you should see my MOON TAN!

Lady MacNaughtonsays:

I was a stock broker who had to get up at 4:30 a.m. for 15 yrs, working 7 days a wk. But,hey, I became a Top Producer, always had sumptuous offices, flew to Hong Kong, London, Zurich,etc at co. expense,while 3 secretaries out front screened my calls & intercepted who tried to approach . I had maids & nannies at home, married a CEO to whom I was a trophy wife,then retired with $2 million in my house account at age 38. It was possible only b/c I was willing to be a NIGHT PERSON. That gave me so many extra hours every single day on my colleagues. I trained myself to read what I needed to read, eat for energy plus maximum beauty (so I could hold attention). When U put everything into your career,you’re a NIGHT PERSON. After age 40, well, I have a paid-for personal limousine and white-on-white rooms of furniture. I sleep late now. I can afford it. Be a Night person. You’re worth it.

Lady MacNaughtonsays:

Carole Lessardsays:

The phone is quiet, the traffic goes away and the blessed silence is deafening. I enjoy the peace and quiet but I don’t have to get up for work so I can boast about the “freedom” of my night 🌙 life. After years of being a slave to the alarm clock I am very happy it went into retirement when I did😊

Annsays:

I was born at 1:09 A.M. so I’ve always felt like it’s natural to be a night owl. Working 8-5 was definitely not my pleasure; 2-10 or 3-11 was preferred and graveyard shifts only for overtime!! To the irritatingly perky larks, let’s see how happy you are when I try to get a sincere good evening after 8:00 or so. How truly convincing will you be?? So tone down the GOOD MORNING to a kinder, softer morning and let birds of different feathers work together.

Joansays:

I have been a night owl since birth, and have a tendancy to sleep 2-6 hours a “night.” And yes I too am married to an early bird. Love him dearly, but I cherish my 8 productive hours to myself every night. I have just finished writing my 11th book, and have 3 more in the que, I run two businesses, and always have time to visit with friends, colleagues, etc. I have traveled a lot in my career, and have friends across the world, which makes it nice, 2:00am, I can call Shanker, 2:00pm – Phyllis, etc. There is always some one that I can tie to if needed. But the productivity of the quiet is so special to me that I don’t chat much. The morning always comes to soon when the juices are really flowing.

Ms Joysays:

I worked nights for many years and loved it. Funny story: the time I came home from work and poured a glass of wine. Glanced up and saw neighbor staring across the way with look of horrified shock that anybody would be hitting the bottle at that hour. I grinned, toasted her, and wandered away from window, sipping my wine. I still chuckle at the memory.

Kimasays:

I have worked the night shift over 40 Years and find it very hard to adjust to sleeping at nite. Driving during the day time is a night mare. Please are rude and always in a hurry. Give me night shift people anynite. We have learned a long time ago to say “Whatever” and to just go with the flow. Take your time and relax.